ABB technology helps smooth the ride for commuters and travelers in France
ABB technology helps power sustainable mobility and urban transport, from the lush vineyards of the Loire Valley to the bustling quarters of Paris
The ABB FIA Formula E Championship series is expected to bring more than 20,000 spectators to Paris to view the event. It’s a figure that might seem overwhelming until you consider the fact that 80 million visit France each year, making it the most visited country in the world.
Visitors come for many reasons, to climb to the top of the Eiffel tower, to glimpse the Mona Lisa and to wander through Monet’s gardens in Giverny. Getting them to these legendary sights near and far is the job of the one of the world’s largest and most complex transportation systems, made up of trains, metros, and buses, many of which are powered by and made more reliable and secured by ABB technology.
In Nantes, for example, along with touring the city’s Gothic castle, a long-standing seat of power for the Dukes of Brittany, or the Jules Verne museum, visitors will soon be able to ride the first fully electric, high-capacity, articulated bus to run without overhead lines. This TOSA bus will be equipped with ABB’s laser-guided flash-charging system which connects to the bus in less than a second as it stops to onboard passengers. With the resultant boost in power, the bus will be able to continue uninterrupted until the next charging point.
Farther north, in Rennes, the current capital of Brittany, visitors can weave their way through the medieval streets around the cathedral, marveling at the half-timbered houses with centuries-old carvings before heading off to explore Brittany’s nearby coastline, a winding rugged path dotted with pristine beaches. The area’s regional RFF/SNCF trains benefit from ABB technology that reinforces the railway’s power infrastructure in the form of SVC Light installations in the Evron substation.
And SVC Light technology is also employed at the Mesnay substation, which helps power the Jura railway, the line that runs through some of the country’s most scenic forested valleys in the far-eastern Jura region and into neighboring Switzerland.
Closer to Paris, several suburban railways, like the national rail company’s (SNCF) regional Transilien train, employ ABB’s traction transformer technology, to keep the trains moving speedily and efficiently along lines where the trains need to achieve high speeds but also make many stops. ABB’s traction transformers reinforce the system, which has to withstand a lot of wear and tear, so that visitors to Versailles, therefore, can spend their time touring the baroque Palace and elaborate grounds instead of worrying about whether they will be delayed getting back to Paris by a late train.
ABB traction transformers are also deployed on the Regiolis trains, which take travelers to areas of rich natural beauty and cultural and vinicultural interest, like Normandy and Burgundy.
Within Paris, thousands of travelers find their way to the city’s many sights, Notre Dame de Paris, the Luxembourg Gardens, the Arc de Triomphe, using the renowned Paris metro. Some of the stations themselves are works of art, well-preserved examples of the Art Deco fusion of commerce and design, and helping the trains run ABB technology is behind the scenes, making passenger journey safe, secure and timely.
Specifically, ABB updated 2 underground substations, which help supply power to the entire metro network. ABB replaced old traction and lighting equipment with a substation automation system as well as control and protection equipment, auxiliary transformers and switchgear. This means that the power supply for the trains is now more reliable and more efficient, getting commuters to their destinations safely and without disruptions.
And no matter the time of day, these substations are supported by an ABB Ability based MicroSCADA system which helps monitor the metro’s power network around the clock. While trains are pulling in and out of stations, all of the power equipment is feeding data to the control room where operators are monitoring the activity to make sure there are no unplanned power outages that can cause disruption in service.
So whether it’s the morning metro ride in Paris, the local train to the airport or the long high-speed rail journey across France, ABB technology is helping supply reliable power for a smooth ride, so commuters stay on time without spilling their coffee.
Related links:
Web page: ABB in the rail industry
Web page: TOSA: A new generation of buses
Web page: TOSA electrical bus charging infrastructure
Video: ABB’s rail technologies support sustainable mobility
We will be at Cigré 2018 in Paris (August 26-31, 2018) – Please click here to find more information.